


The Dangerous Truths of Folklore

by Mara92



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angels and Demons, Aphrodisiacs, Asphyxiation, BDSM, Bill loves Dipper's blood, BillDip, Blood and Violence, Bloodplay, Cum drinking, Dark Love, Demon Bill Cipher, Eldritch Bill Cipher, Human Bill Cipher, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Marking, Multiple Orgasms, Orgasm Denial, Other, Pedophilia, Possessive Bill Cipher, Rape/Non-con Elements, Some Biblical scripture used, Soul Bond, Sounding, Tags May Change, Weirdmageddon never happened, all the magic and weirdness of GFs hides DEEP in the woods, basically something going into the penis hole (urethra), i clearly dont know how to tag, only by a few years in the beginning, this story ended up with some backstory, to the point of obsession
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-07-31
Packaged: 2018-06-07 02:25:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6781633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mara92/pseuds/Mara92
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Folklore abounds in the small town of Gravity Falls, meant to keep curious children from exploring it's depths. Dipper Pines, a curious youth, wants to see if they are true or not.</p><p>However, soon he will learn that some of those old stories are most certainly true, and the dangers they speak of are very much real...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RandomUsername13](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomUsername13/gifts).



> Okay, this is my first fan fiction ever, and it's a present for RandomUsername13 (my smol/tol writer). I hope this fulfills all your dark BillDip sin expectations.
> 
> THIS INTRO IS CURRENTLY UNBETA'D. THANK YOU ALL IN ADVANCE, AND HOPE YOU ENJOY MY FIRST WORK~!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fall of Lucifer and his followers, 'The Fallen'.

**IN THE BEGINNING**

**God created the heavens and the Earth…**

**_~Genesis 1:1~_ **

_He had followed Lucifer and the other fallen from heaven to a place that would be known for eternity as Hell, created by God specifically for fallen angels like him. It_ probably _wasn’t the best idea for them to follow him, but what did he know? He was a young angel, bored with the status quo of praising God day in and day out. So he fought to help destroy the norm, bring about chaos, though it was unsuccessful. Well, at least he could say he got a nifty scar from his fights with the angels: directly on his right eye._

_It wasn’t until the fall of man on Earth that things got_ interesting. _Lucifer, in the form of a snake, had been a catalyst for the fall of man. All it took was a woman, some sweet, saccharine, honeyed words, and and a fruit that should never have been touched, and the human flesh sacks were separated—_ amputated _from God in all his ‘glory’. This in turn made them more susceptible and open to the fallen, now dubbed as demons, and their influence._

And what an influence it was.

_First it was Cain; killing his own flesh and blood brother, Abel out of jealousy. One of_ his _‘friends’ had been the cause of that. The older brother was so easily persuaded, even. Just poke at his pride a bit, and the rest is history (or a broken body splattered across an open field, but who needs specifics~)._

 _Then came the Tower of Babel. It wasn’t hard to make the meat sacks think so highly of themselves that they could_ EVER _possibly reach God’s realm of being with mere human instruments and materials. I mean, come on,_ ANYBODY WHO’S ANYBODY _would know_ that.

 

 

Guess we know why there are so many languages out there today, huh?

_But it wasn’t surprising how easily it was to persuade them… Sure, some of the meat sacks refused to be derailed, keeping their faithfulness to the ‘Holy Father’ and entering heaven when they died… But humans were still a young species, desperate for protection from the dangers of the wilderness. They were dying, and by no means slowly, either. He felt their despair, anguish and grief. Plagued by sickness, devoured by wild beasts, wasting away to hunger-you name it. Nothing they did would ever amount to anything, as if nature itself were conspiring against them; most of them were unaware of the higher beings that controlled things from behind the scenes, and ‘_ just a bit of faith’ _wasn’t enough to assure them all._

_Regardless, it provided him with meager entertainment, and gave him brownie points with his_ (technical) _lord and fellow demon, Lucifer. He had helped build up and tear down many a civilization—leading those that he could to stray from the divine path of God’s will, and turning them to more worldly agendas, following the desires and lusts of their flesh instead of the teachings of the Bible. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do after being exiled from heaven. Though it eventually got boring…_

_…Until one human had allowed him to use their body, take over their very mind. It was a completely new feeling to him, and…_ HE ENJOYED IT.

 

_Though he couldn’t say that being in the human’s body wasn’t_ inconvenient— _what with its emotions and easy susceptibility to pain and sickness, but it was…_ different. _It was something he hadn’t experienced in a long time, as well as something more. He hadn’t understood what it was like for men—these-_ humans, _that God had created, as he was originally created as an angel. The human mind and soul was a beautiful, perfectly obscured conundrum in all its glory, and he wanted to experience_ MORE _—_

 _To completely unravel the mind of humanity, see what made it_ tick! _And it was then that he discovered his affinity:_ the mind _._

**~~~**

_As he grew in power over the millennia, slowly but surely, he discovered that most humans couldn’t stand seeing his true form, let alone being in its presence. It had a tendency to destroy the humans physically, if not mentally, his demonic presence too great a strain on their corporeal forms and minds. But how would he fix this? Simple: change his form—contain his demonic power within a form or vessel that the humans could understand. It made it a hell of a lot easier to converse with them when they weren’t shitting themselves, or puking up their guts, or trying to peel their eyes out upon seeing the eldritch horror that was his true demon form (though it_ was _amusing to see them fall apart before him)._

 _He wasn’t 100% sure why, but he decided to go with a triangular form. I mean, why not? They looked pretty neat. And of course the fact that it was three sided had_ ABSOLUTELY NOTHING _to do with that whole, ‘Godhead’ or “Holy Trinity’ bit that they went on about back in heaven._ OF COURSE NOT…

 

 _But the results were_ pretty _impressive, to say the least. He was able to make ‘deals’ with the humans a lot easier, most of them having no objections to letting him into their mind. Why, it was so easy_ _he had an_ ENTIRE CIVILIZATION _building_ FUCKING MONUMENTS _in his new image! Hah, what an ego boost_ that _was!_

 

 

**~~~**

_It was when he was roaming the mindscape, somewhere in the area of what would one day be Oregon that he found himself attracted to the place. He could only describe it as a pull, something like what humans knew as gravity; similar to the familiar sensation of being ripped from heaven, though_ much _less unpleasant. He followed the feeling, eventually leading him to a small tribe of natives. He didn’t care much for them, but that sensation was still ever present, so he stuck around._

 _He thought he would humor himself, toying with them for a bit. But it soon got boring, as all things did in his eternal lifespan. So, why not help them? Cultivate them; build them up for a bit, before sending all their hopes and dreams crashing to the floor like broken glass? Yes, surely that would help him pass the time while he figured out_ what _was causing that incessant tugging on his soul to the area._

 _He wouldn’t know—until centuries later—that being in the humans’ minds had more of an effect on him than he ever realized it would. By being in their minds, he could feel various things, both physical_ AND _mental; the pain, pleasure, but also the_ **emotions** _that came with it._ _One day, unbeknownst to him, he would learn the human term for what was keeping him tied here; a destined bond that would forever connect his soul with that of another—to that of his soulmate:_

A soul bond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS INTRO WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN. IT JUST DID. AND NOW BILL HAS A BACKSTORY. SHOOP DE WHOOP~
> 
> ~Mara


	2. A Story of Old

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins explore the forest.  
> Mabel worries.  
> Dipper gets lost, but meets a new 'friend'.  
> A story is told.

* * *

**Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.**

**_~Matthew 13:13~_ **

 

 

**_====================_ **

****

 

_Folklore: ideas or stories that are not true but that many people have heard or read._

_There are many stories that surround the mysterious woods of Gravity Falls. Most of them folklore, a wife's tale; stories to keep away children and teenagers too curious to know better than to traverse the woods alone—_

_—Children like Dipper Pines, born with a thirst for knowledge and adventure that seemed endless. The forest had drawn him in like a moth to the proverbial flame. He should have heeded the warnings- the dangers of those stories that tell of beasts inhabiting the forest and call it their home.  But how could he know, being only sixteen, a young teenager just discovering himself in life? Soon however, he would learn that not all those folklores are actually that, for some of these tales are true, and the dangers they speak of are quite real..._

 

“I dunno about this, Dipper,” Mabel mumbled, looking at her brother with furrowed brows and a frown. Normally this would worry Dipper, as she was usually a huge ball of sunshine (and smile dip), but his mind was currently on other things. Today was the day he would finally go out and explore the forest. There were all kinds of stories and folklore about the woods on the outskirts of the town, merely a few hundred yards from the Mystery Shack where they stayed with their great uncle—or Grunkle—Stanley Pines.

Granted, they were just that: false stories spread by word of mouth, mostly meant to scare kids into staying away; but not him. Though false the stories may be, the woods did hold potential dangers, such as wild animals or the like, so he was not unprepared. He had a small backpack with essential items he would need, such as a few snacks and some water, a compass, flashlight, cell phone, and a pocket knife that his Grunkle had given him for his fourteenth birthday (much to his parents’ chagrin. (“The kid needs to be able to defend himself in an emergency, so why not!”)

He had been planning this excursion for weeks, months even, and now he was ready to put that plan into action.  
  
“Come on, Mabs, we’ve been over this. Those stories the townsfolk tell are all probably just that: fairytales and folklore,” he explained, waving a hand nonchalantly. “I mean, what’s the likelihood of there _actually_ being a bear with multiple heads living in the forest anyway?! That’s like, _biologically impossible_.” Unless there was a biological mutation… but that in itself would PROBABLY take a good few decades at the very least for the mutated gene to develop… Before his thoughts could veer off course any further, his sister mumbled something.

“What about Grunkle Stan? He says it’s not safe to go in the woods too. Meaning there has to be _something_ out there to give them all a reason to tell us to stay out of it!” Mabel’s brow was now furrowed more so in agitation rather than apprehension, and Dipper knew he had to really lay it on to convince her now.

  
“They’re probably just afraid of kids getting lost or something, which is what I have the compass for. And even if there are wild animals, I’ve got that knife Grunkle Stan gave me for my birthday a few years back.” He reached into the backpack, pulling out a small beret knife in a blue sheathe. “It’s not like Gravity Falls really has any known carnivorous animals unique to the area anyway.” With that, he pocketed the knife, slipping the bag back on his back. “Mabel, please…? I’ve been planning this trip for months, you know that. I just- I _need_ to see what’s out there!”

 

Mabel had opened her mouth to retort, but her lips soon snapped shut. Was that—oh no, he was _NOT_ giving her the puppy eyes! “Dipper, don’t you give me that look! You know that’s _my_ shtick!” Unfortunately for her, he had finally figured out how to successfully dish out the puppy dog eyes like she herself had done to him so many times before. With a groan and a playful punch to his shoulder, she finally consented. “Fine, but only for a little; and not too far in!”

 

Before she could get another word in edgewise, she found the breath knocked out of her. She glanced down to see that Dipper had pulled her into a hug. “Thank you, Mabel… Really, you don’t know how much this means to me.” He pulled away from her with a huge grin, and honestly, Mabel couldn’t remember the last time she had seen her brother this truly happy. Sure, she had seen him happy on numerous occasions. Like their birthday parties, or when they would hang out with their friends, or even on Christmas, as he opened his presents. But those moments paled in comparison to what she felt from him now. There was a keen and very distinct spark in his eyes; that one he would get when he would find a new book that fascinated him, or a new puzzle to solve (or had solved a puzzle). And it was that look of excitement and anticipation at the prospect of journeying into the unknown of the forest before them now that made her smile.

 

“No problem, bro-bro. I mean, as the _ALPHA TWIN,_ it’s my job to make sure you don’t get yourself into trouble!” At that, Dipper groaned. “Five minutes. Just because you were born FIVE minutes before me doesn’t make you the alpha twin, Mabel!” Unfortunately for him, his retort fell on deaf ears as his sister began chanting her usual mantra of “Alpha twin! Alpha Twin!” Despite the minor annoyance, Dipper knew it was all in good fun, so he nudged her playfully as he strode past her and through the back door of the Mystery Shack. “Yeah yeah, okay, ‘ _alpha twin’._ Now come on, we gotta head out now so we can back before Grunkle Stan gets home.”

 

“Alright, I’m coming.” Mabel followed behind her brother, being sure to lock the door behind her and pocket the key. The twins quickly made their way through the lawn, crossing the dirt road that separated them from the forest’s edge and stopping just outside the tree line. Dipper looked between the trees, staring off into the woody unknown. A thrum of excitement shot up his spine, almost causing a visible shiver. He hadn’t told Mabel, but he honestly _did_ believe some of those stories of folklore. The ones that spoke of weird and magical creatures deep in the wood; hidden, but waiting for either the lucky, or the misfortunate to discover them. It was like he _knew_ there was something from those stories out there waiting for him; as if calling to him from within the confines of the trees—it was an oddly pleasant feeling. And yet…

 

 

_…strangely frightening._

 

His thoughts were cut short however, when Mabel began pushing him from behind. “Come on, Dippin’ Dots! Let’s get a move on! The sooner we get in, the sooner we can get out!” He shook his head at her eagerness to get back to the Shack, but he could understand her unease. After all, she was only doing this to oblige him, and he was quite thankful for it. “Alright, let’s get a move on then.” Eager to see what lie within, he began leading the way deeper into the trees, his sister trailing closely behind him—and neither of them aware of the shadowed figure watching from behind the tree they had just passed…

 

 

**====================**

 

 

It wasn’t long before the twins were far enough into the forest to the point where they could no longer see the Mystery Shack. Dipper held the compass, eyes occasionally falling down to the instrument in his hand before nodding and continuing forward. They had yet to encounter any living creature of unique significance, but Dipper had stopped a few times to examine an herb here, or a unique patch of moss there. He had pulled out a brown, leather journal with a golden, six fingered hand embroidered onto it to record his findings. It too, was a gift; given to him before his tenth birthday by his Great Uncle’s twin—Stanford Pines.

 

 

He had to admit, he loved his Grunkle Stan, but Ford was a whole different story. He had connected with the man on a much deeper level, both mentally and emotionally. He found himself listening to Ford’s stories of his travels abroad into different countries, discovering new things around the world, and even his own weird encounters here in Gravity Falls. He would often tell Dipper of the stories that the town spoke of, though he went much deeper into detail, and he would constantly tell Dipper that some of those stories were true. It was in those moments, where he listened to his Grunkle Ford, that were some of the happiest of his young life.  
  
Unfortunately, those moments with him had come to a permanent end shortly before Dipper’s and Mabel’s first summer in Gravity Falls. A few months before their trip, he and his sister had come home from school that day to find their mother crying, before she looked at her twins with tears in her eyes. She pulled them into a tight hug before telling them as gently as possible that their Grunkle Ford had passed, taken from them by an accident. Both twins were heartbroken, but Ford’s passing had hit Dipper the hardest.

It had been weeks before the boy willingly left his room for anything unless someone else forced him. He would keep to himself, clinging to the journal throughout the day, and holding it tight as he cried himself to sleep at night. Their parents, worried for Dipper’s health had nearly canceled their plans to send the twins to Gravity Falls, but at Dipper’s insistence and pleading, they asked Stanley if he was alright with it. The man had affirmed, stating he could definitely use their company and help them cope with the loss—himself included.

 

 

Ford had told Dipper he was giving him the journal in hopes that he would find and document his own unique discoveries, whether they were new to the world, or just something of interest to himself. He treasured that journal almost as much as he had his own sister. _Almost._ Needless to say, the journal had offered him _some_ solace after his great uncle’s passing, but he still wondered what had happened, as no one ever told the younger Pines twins what exactly the accident was, or what caused it.

This was one of the reasons Dipper had wanted to go searching the forest as well. Maybe something that lived out here in these woods had some connection to the incident. Of all the wondrous notes and entries in the journal, it also listed some dangerous beings that, according to Ford, had resided in these very woods. He wanted—no, _needed_ to know, and by God, he would find out.

 

 

It wasn’t until he felt a slight tug at his sleeve that he was pulled from his thoughts. He turned back, seeing a worried Mabel standing beside him, fear speckling her eyes. “Dipper, we’re pretty far into the woods… I think we should head back.” Dipper pulled out his phone, glancing at the time and noticed that they had indeed been out in the woods longer than he had thought. Was he really so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t realized how much time had passed?

  
With a resigned sigh, he nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right…” He slipped his phone back into the bag and turned until the compass pointed east in the direction they had come from. “Well, so much for finding anything out here,” he mumbled in resignation. Mabel smiled softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Well you may not have found any unique animal or a strange creature, but at least you found those cool looking herbs and flowers, right?” Dipper smiled at her attempt to cheer him up; she always did see the silver lining in things. It balanced out his usually demure take on things, so he was grateful for it. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. And that moss formation I found earlier was unlike any I’ve seen before.” His sister grinned at him, all teeth and braces, and Dipper couldn’t help the smile that graced his own because of it. “That’s the spirit, Dip-Dop! Now let’s get home before Grunkle Stan realized we’re gone, yeah?”

 

Dipper nodded his assent, following Mabel as she began walking toward home, when a brief, but bright flash of gold crossed the corner of his vision.

 

“Mabel, did you see that?” His sister turned in the direction he was now staring off into, but she couldn’t see anything of immediate interest. “All I see are trees, Dipper. You sure you’re okay?” She laughed, nudging him slightly, but his gaze stayed fixed where it was.

 _How can she not see it,_ he thought to himself. The sunlight was reflecting off of SOMETHING, causing it to flash in the light—it was pretty hard to miss. But there was something strange about it; as if it were calling out to him… He suddenly found himself walking toward the flicker of gold, barely aware of Mabel calling his name. “Dipper, where are you going? We have to go home!”

Dipper turned his head toward her, but kept his gaze on the light, as he responded. “In a sec, Mabel, I just need to check this out first.” With that he pressed on, stepping onto the root of a rather large tree that had fallen. He climbed up and over the trunk of the half decayed tree, careful not to step on any of the broken wood, lest he fall and hurt himself.

“Dipper, wait!”

 

He heard his sister call to him, but he could barely hear her now. Strange, as they were only separated by the tree trunk; though it was big enough to obscure her from view. He heard the telltale signs of her trying to climb over the trunk herself to follow after him, but he was hardly even paying attention anymore. His entire focus and train of thought was on the light, and _what is that..? Why didn’t she see it? Maybe if I can get to it and show her…_

He continued his path, following the shimmer, hardly noticing that the forest seemed to just grow denser, the trees positioned more tightly together as he got closer to the light. He couldn’t even hear Mabel anymore. As he approached another fallen tree, he saw something engraved into the base of the trunk that still remained rooted in the ground. He squinted, pushing aside the small bushels of grass that had grown and intertwined around the wood, making out what appeared to be letters…?

 

 

**_dozdbv zdwfklqj_ **

 

 

It was a cipher. He had recognized it as one, being that his great uncle Ford had discussed the topic with him before; he had even gone as far as to ask the man to teach him how to read and decipher such puzzles. If he remembered correctly, this was a simple Caesar cipher—easy to crack. Wracking his brain for the lessons Ford had taught him, he quickly pieced it together.

 

“Always watching?” His brow furrowed in confusion at the short phrase. What did that even mean? He mulled it over in his head, turning over different possibilities—particularly the story of the ‘beast of the forest.’ It made sense, but at the same time it didn’t. The story never mentioned the beast having only one eye. Before he could think on it anymore, he heard a rustling sound nearby, quickly turning in alarm toward the source of the noise. He pulled out the knife Stan had given him, forcing himself to stay calm but alert, as he approached the bush that shook before him. He approached slowly, taking careful steps to avoid provoking whatever creature was lurking beyond the shrubs. He slowly reached out a hand, carefully approaching the bush, when…

 

“Gah!” He jumped back, landing ever so gracefully on his ass as a blur of brown darted out of the bushes, scurrying off to a tree across the way. It was just a squirrel. “Holy crap that scared the shit out of me!” Dipper placed a hand over his chest, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart from the jump scare he had just received. At least it wasn’t something carnivorous. Once he calmed down, he took a deep breath and released it as a sigh before moving to stand back on his feet. Gripping the tree for leverage, he felt an unnatural indent in the bark of the tree. Curiosity peaked, he looked around on it’s to see another cipher etched into the trunk.

 

 

**_kh zdlwv iru wkh fklog ri wkh vwduv_ **

****

****

“He waits for the child of the stars…” Okay, this was officially getting weird… But he still had yet to find what was reflecting that light earlier. It was then that he realized—he was lost.

 

Well, this was just great, wasn’t it? Dipper groaned as he was forced to pull out the compass from his backpack. He rummaged around looking for the instrument to guide him home, but after a few moments of searching unsuccessfully, he realized with horror that it was gone. “Oh no… no no _no_ …!” He sat the bag quickly on the forest floor, emptying the contents of his bag, spotting everything there except for the one thing he was looking for. He had lost his only means of getting home, and with the dense trees blocking out the sunlight, he couldn’t even use the sky for direction. “Mabel, we have to go back…” He looked up to see his sister—

 

**_But she wasn’t there._ **

****

The reality of the situation began crashing down on him. He vaguely remembered his sister calling to him, telling him they should head home. He remembered seeing her before he climbed over that tree, but after that; nothing. She should have caught up to him by this point, shouldn’t she? What was he even thinking?! He should have listened to her when she said it was time to go back, curiosity be damned. He tried to focus on breathing again, closing his eyes as he tried to focus on the smell of pine, the earth beneath his soles, the faint breeze that passed… It helped, even if only a bit. Opening his eyes, Dipper took in a deep breath, releasing it with only minimal shaking. Panicking would only make his situation worse, so that was not an option.

 

He decided to just head back the exact way he came. Surely he would eventually encounter that large tree that he had climbed over. He would hear Mabel calling his name, see her brow crease in anger and worry before she told him off for leaving her behind like that. The though alone managed to put a small smile on his face. Now calmed, he turned around and began walking the way he came, thoughts of the golden light from before all but gone from his mind.

 

 

**====================**

 

 

He didn’t know how long he had walked for, but he was beginning to get tired and hungry. Pulling the bag off of his back, he reached inside and grabbed the bottle of water and a small bag of chips; good thing he had come prepared. As he munched on his snack, he spotted something in the distance that made him pause. A few meters ahead of him, was a large, fallen tree that blocked the path. He had finally made his way back!

 

All previous doubt forgotten, he ran over to the tree, stashing the rest of his unfinished sandwich and water back in his backpack, before reaching up to climb back over the tree. He struggled to get up on the other side, but somehow, he was able to use the branches, which— _coincidentally_ , were place perfectly for him to reach up and grab them, and climb over the fallen tree. As he slid down onto the other side, expecting to see his sister, however, he was faced with something that had worry bubbling up in him again.

  
  
Dipper had somehow reached a rather large clearing, which was strange; he hadn’t passed one on his trek into the woods. He continued on, glancing around for signs of any animals or predators nearby, but found none. With one last look around the clearing, he stepped out from the tree line, entering the field with a cautious gait. Upon nearing the center of the field, he saw a stone structure placed in its center. Curiosity sparked again inside him, urging him closer.

 

He found himself panting— _when had he started running?_ —by the time he had reached what was now revealed to be a triangular statue bearing one arm extended as if to shake his hand, and half buried legs, a single, large eye resting in the center of its stone face, and a bowtie just below it atop a brick-like pattern. Well that was odd… Judging from the statue’s condition, it was at _least_ a few hundred years old, maybe more. The statue was covered in dark, nearly black moss with leafy, but gnarled vines curling up the visible portion of legs, extending across the front face and winding around its arms. Surprisingly, they gave a certain…charm to it, rather than morphing it into something grotesque, or wearing it down with time, as lifeless as the vines looked. Aside from the dead looking foliage that covered it, the statue looked to be none the worse for wear. In fact, it was near completely unblemished, except for a few worn down corners here and there.

 

 

He hadn’t even spared a thought for the lack of _healthy_ plant life in the immediate vicinity of the statue…

 

  
Dipper found his hand approaching the statue to touch it. As soon as the tips of his fingers made contact with the smooth surface of the stone, he felt something akin to a small spark—like static electricity—course through his arm. He quickly retracted his hand, shivering as the sensation eased from his body. That was…strange, to say the least; but something compelled him to touch it, a prodding in his mind, insisting that he do so.

 

He slowly raised his hand again, reaching forward to touch the stone, and as he approached it this time, he felt a tugging, as if something was _pulling_ his hand toward the statue. Without realizing it, he was already touching the statue’s eye, that same sensation shooting up his arm again and spreading throughout his body. He didn’t know what it was, but after the sensation passed, he was filled with a strange, yet pleasant warmth. It started from the tips of his fingers, slowly spreading up his arms, into his chest, and from there down to his legs, his opposite arm, and to his head, as if a slow shiver was being released from his spine.

Unaware of what he was doing, his hand slid along the statue’s surface, dragging around the eye’s perimeter before sliding to its center to trace the dip of the wide, slit pupil it contained. The warmth in him intensified as he went, wrapping around him like a warm blanket in the middle of winter and filling his mind with a murky haze. _So warm,_ he thought to himself. It was nice; he didn’t want the sensation to end… He leaned closer to the statue, unsure of what he was even doing, when a loud rustling snapped him out of his daze.  
  
His hand retracted from the statue on reflex, the warmth instantly leaving his body as an unnatural and disconcerting chill fell over him for a moment. _Whoa. That was…weird…_  
  
Dipper decided that now would definitely be a good time to leave the clearing. He still had to find Mabel and get back to the shack. He wasn’t sure how long he had been gone, but by this point, Stan was more than likely already home from his shopping. He would be furious with him for being out here…if he could even find his way out.

Rising from where he was kneeled in front of the statue, he turned on his heel to leave the clearing, but froze not a moment later.

 

There, standing at the edge of the clearing, was a man watching him.

 

The ensemble he adorned was a bit odd, to say the least, given the location. He was dressed to the nines, donning a white button up vest-shirt that extended to black long sleeves, down to the cuffs at his wrist. The lower torso of the shirt itself was hidden beneath a sleeveless, golden yellow waist coat (with triangular buttons, he noted) that sported a brick like pattern at the bottom front half, extending around to the coat tails in the back. On his hands, just past the white cuffs—also buttoned with triangles—were a pair of gloves, made of what looked to be a silky material. His legs were clad with simple, comfortable looking black slacks that fit his form, loose enough to be comfortable, but tight enough to accentuate his figure’s angles, and his feet were shod with a pair of black loafers, shined to perfection.

_Definitely not the kind of look someone would have for a simple hike in the woods…_

 

 

Despite how unfit for the situation the outfit was, it didn’t look bad, and it fit his appearance—messy, golden blonde hair covered his head. The bangs hid the skin of his forehead and obscured what appeared to be a black _eye patch_ over his right eye… (Dipper vaguely wondered what had happened to warrant its use, but decided it was better not to ponder on the possibilities…) while the rest cascaded downward, tapering off into a semi-rough, but still pristine undercut at the back of his neck. The golden tresses faded into what appeared to be black, dyed locks (they weren’t, surprisingly) as it reached the back of his neck.

His face was sharp, though somehow softly rounded, if that combination was even possible (and apparently it was, as the man was living proof, as well as being dotted across the nose and cheeks with small freckles. His _eye_ was the smoothest honey gold-hazel mix that he had ever seen, matching the man’s creamy tan—almost a rich shade of milk chocolate—skin that he had. To put it bluntly, he looked a mix of sharp angles and smoothed edges; barely nerdy, quite impish looking, but with a _barely there_ hint of a baby face, yet still regal and dapper.

 

Dipper wondered exactly how long he had been there—how long had he been watching, and **_why_** _is he watching me?_ His thoughts were abruptly halted when the man before him suddenly grinned.

 

  
  
“Well, well, well! If _this_ isn’t a pleasant surprise!” His voice was high pitched, sounding a bit—what was the word— _nasal_? Not unpleasantly so, however, but for some reason, it was still slightly off putting…unnatural, even. Dipper just stared at the man, unaware that he had spoken, before a gloved hand was waving in front of his face. “You okay there, kid?” Dipper jumped back with a quiet squeak, startled by the man’s sudden and unexpected closeness. “Yeah, I’m fine, thanks,” he spat out sarcastically, backing away from the stranger as they erupted into laughter at his surprise. “Glad to hear it, kiddo! Though I gotta ask, what’s a kid like you doin’ way out here alone in the woods, hm?”

Dipper wasn’t quite sure if he should respond to that, after all, the guy was a stranger, and he _was_ lost in the middle of the woods. _Alone._

“Just exploring; trying to see if any of the town’s folktales are true.” The words were out of Dipper’s mouth before he could stop them, and he was surprised at himself for having given the information so easily.

“ ** _Really~?_** Well, I don’t remember seeing you around town before… What’s your name, kid? Or would you prefer I just call you that from now on?” Dipper grimaced at the prospect of being called a kid. He was already sixteen, for God’s sake, and on the borderlines of being a young adult. “My name’s Dipper; Dipper Pines, and no, I’d rather you not, thanks.” Again, he was startled as to how he could share so much personal information about himself to someone he had _just met_. “And what about you? Who are you supposed to be?”

At that, the grin on the man’s face seemed to broaden, almost unnaturally so. “Name’s Bill Cipher, kid! And before you go wondering, I’ve been around Gravity Falls for a _long time,_ Pine Tree.” Before Dipper could even question why he had called him by such a weird nickname, the man—now know as Bill—seeing his brow furrow in confusion, gestured to his own head. “Your hat, kid. There’s a pine tree there, so I thought the name would suit you!”

Dipper scrunched his nose at that, not at all pleased with the nickname, but he let it slide for now. Not like he would be seeing the man anymore after this encounter. At least, he hoped not. But that aside, something about that name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Intros aside, if you’re looking for folklore, you should know that there’re some pretty dangerous creatures out here, kid. Not exactly the best place for ‘little saplings’ like you to be hangin’ around, if ya know what I mean...”

 

Bill’s uncovered eye seemed to be analyzing him with a piercing gaze more intense than Dipper had ever seen—ever _felt_ —before; as if he were trying to see into his head. To say it made him immensely uncomfortable was an understatement.

“W-well, I could say the same for you,” he stuttered out, trying to squash the feeling of unease from the tall man’s gaze. “If you’ve been here so long, shouldn’t you be worried about the ‘dangers’ that lurk out here too?”  
  
If he thought Bill’s grin was unnaturally wide before, the one he wore now was definitely _not normal_. The man’s shoulders shook in what Dipper could clearly tell was suppressed laughter. He chortled, before throwing his head back, the air quickly filling with his insane laughter. After a few moments, he bent over, clutching at his stomach with tears in his visible eye.”Oh, wow! I can’t believe you actually asked that question, Pine Tree! Hah, well, then again, _YOU DON’T KNOW WHO I AM,_ so I PROBABLY should have expected that!”  
  
Dipper didn’t know what he meant by that, but he assumed it was because he only ever came here for the summers. But if that were the case, why hadn’t he seen the guy before? If he had been in Gravity Falls so long, surely they would have crossed paths at least once in the four summers he had been there.

“I’m pretty positive you’re story savvy, so riddle me this: ever heard of that one about the thing that lives in the forest and kidnaps children?” Bill’s eye seemed to light up with a macabre sort of enthusiasm, eying dipper intently as he waited for the kid to answer.

“Well, yeah... ‘The beast prowls the forest in search of young blood, and any children foolish enough to enter are taken by the creature, never to be seen again,’ or something like that. It’s one of the most common and often told; usually just to scare kids away from entering the woods, from what I’ve heard. I mean, it’s pretty easy to get lost in…here.” His words slowed as he had unintentionally reminded himself of the situation he was in; that he was still lost, and needed to find his way home.

“And yet, here _you_ are, kid~” He startled as he saw Bill’s form walk past him. Dipper wasn’t expecting the man to trail back to the same statue he had just extricated himself from a few minutes before. Nor did he expect Bill to chuckle, almost in a forlorn manner.

“It’s amazing how distorted a story can get with the passage of time… Tell me, Pine Tree,” he said as he laid his hands on the statue, leading a trail along the eye in its center. “Do you believe in God and the Devil?”

Dipper brows furrowed, confused by the statement. “I’m sorry, wha—”

“Do you believe in God and the Devil?” He repeated a bit more sharply as he turned on Dipper, an intense fire in his eye that the boy had never seen before. It pinned him down as if he were on an observation table; a specimen about to be dissected… He was barely able to stutter out his own reply.  
  
“Uh- n-no, I- not really,” he stuttered in a whisper before amending his statement. “I mean, I believe in spirits and ghosts, I guess, but not gods and demons...” He kept his gaze glued to the grass beneath his feet, not noticing the gears turning in Bill’s head at his reply, clearly visible in his eye.

 

 

**====================**

 

 

He had to keep calm.

A little longer. Just a little longer, and everything would come to light. He would find out if what he felt from the kid was what he thought, or if it were… _like last time_ —

 _“_ No _. It won’t be like last time. He’s the one. I_ know _it.”_

 _And if it_ is _like the last time? What will you do then? Kill him? Like you did the other? At least_ HE _believed in our existence._

 _“That won’t be necessary! Besides, that doesn’t matter. It’s him, I’m_ absolutely positive _it’s him!”_

 _Then by all means, go ahead! But when this blows up in your face and he turns out to be like the_ OTHER _one, this will be on_ you _; and I won’t fail to rectify_ your _mistake. We’ve been here too long, and it’s time we move on from this fool’s dream of ours._

He cringed at its words, but acquiesced, though he was determined to prove it wrong. Dipper was the one; of that, he was certain…

 

 

**====================**

 

 

At his reply, Bill’s expression seemed to somehow fall between a mix of morose disappointment, and indignant betrayal, as well as a flicker of determined hope—all contradicting but swirling together in an amalgam that was too complex to solve in the half second that it remained on his face. Dipper barely caught it, as whatever it was abruptly vanished, replaced by an amused smile; he wasn’t even sure the look he saw was actually there, as quick as the transition was.

“That’s kind of a hypocritical answer there, kid,” Bill chuckled as he approached Dipper again. His instincts told him to back away, to keep the distance between them from diminishing; but he was stuck. The pull from earlier that caused him to reach out to the statue the second time was back, and it was gravitating toward Bill. While he was able to keep from heeding it, he wasn’t able to oppose it, either. It kept him rooted on the spot, unable to move as Bill now stood before him.

“See, you believe in spirits, right? But tell me…” Bill crooned as he laid an arm around Dipper’s neck, pulling him close as if they were old time buddies. “Are not God and Lucifer but spirits themselves that hold _MORE POWER_ than others?”

 

The grin on his face unnerved him, set all his senses on fleet, but still, he was stuck there, unable to even pull Bill’s arm off his shoulder. “Um…”  
  
“Well, should’ve seen this coming, after all, you _DON’T BELIEVE_ in the ‘Big Man’ upstairs,” he commented, accentuating his description of God with a gesture of air quotes. “But seriously, the folks in this town have _seriously_ downplayed that story, Pine Tree. There’s so much MORE to it than what those OL’ BATS here tell you kids.  So, why don’t I set the record straight for you, hmm?”

Dipper opened his mouth to decline, but was quickly cut off as Bill resumed. “They never mention it, but that statue over there is actually a part of the story, and it’s been around for _centuries_ …” As he continued, Bill face donned a look reminiscent to that of melancholy, his gaze now fully focused on the statue before them.

 

“Didja know; back before Gravity Falls was even an actual town, there was a tribe of natives that worshiped a demon residing in this very place?” Despite the unease from before, Dipper listened attentively as Bill spoke. He had never heard anyone in town mention a demon being involved in the story… And here he thought it was more of a wild animal, or some supernatural creature like a vampire…

“The story never mentioned anything about a statue or a demon-”

He was interrupted by a dark chuckle from Bill that sent an unwelcome shiver up his spine.

“Of course not! People tend to fear the unknown, kid… What they don’t see, they don’t believe, and demons can’t be seen by those who aren’t sensitive enough to them. It’s really not too surprising that the _ACTUAL_ story’s been so obscured, to be honest…”

“I don’t understand… But how did so much of the story get lost, if what you said about the demon is true?”

“Just shut up and listen to the story, Pine Tree~”

 

 

**====================**

 

_Being helpful to humans was never his intention while he was here. All he wanted to do was get into their minds, rip the place open and dissect the deeper subconscious that even the meat sacks themselves weren’t aware of. Sure, he made deals with them, giving them what they wanted…But it was usually in a twisted way (or he would exploit a loophole), and the price was more than what they had bargained for._

**_~~~_ **

****

_He had found that a small village of natives had taken up residency not far outside the woods he inhabited. Thinking they would be perfect little test subjects to use and further develop his knowledge of the human mind, he decided to stick around._

_It wasn’t until one of those villagers stumbled across his metaphysical human form that the worshipping started. He was testing his abilities, trying to create a form that would allow him easier contact with the humans, as it made getting into their minds a tad less stressful. Yes, he had his triangle form, but he could only use that while he was in the Mindscape, or if he were summoned. Like his true form, it wasn’t connected to the physical plane of existence. While he now donned a human body, it had yet to_ fully _transcend into the human plane, but he had more influence over physical objects and organisms._

_It was while he was testing just how much influence he had outside of the mindscape on the physical, that the human had seen him dispatching the beasts of the wild that would have no doubt massacred their entire village that night. Apparently, the human that had found him was what their little group called a ‘shaman’, one who was a bit more attuned to the spiritual realm, which involved the mindscape as well._

_The shaman had returned home and told his village how “_ a strange man had dispatched the beasts that would surely have killed them all in a way unnatural and impossible for any man. _” From there, the rest was history._

_The people, accompanied by the shaman, would occasionally bring sacrifices to him in the forest. They would leave him all types of things—crops from their first harvest of the year, spices and incents, some even brought the untainted young of their livestock to him to sacrifice on an altar they would quickly construct on the spot. While he hadn’t really cared much for the sacrifices, he accepted them none the less. He could feed off the energy of the giver’s intent._

The animal blood had actually been his favorite though, if he were to be honest… _It was a lot easier to feed off of its direct energy, rather than just the intention with which it was given._

 

**_~~~_ **

****

_It wasn’t until a plague hit the tribe that his own interactions with the meat sacks actually began. The shaman and tribe leader came to him with another pure animal, sacrificing it as they cried out to him, begging him to lift the disease that was rapidly killing off their people._

_Normally, he would have ignored it, but then he decided he would help them, see how much he could get out of them from it. After all, he couldn’t just get into their mind unless they_ willingly _allowed him in, unfortunately. So why not do them a favor for one in return? After the animal was sacrificed, he drank of its blood, before using the energy he gathered from it to pull the two natives into the mindscape._

_“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the head honcho and Mr. Spiritual himself, come to ask me a favor!”_

_The two men were surprised as the colors bled from the world, leaving a grayscale in its place, but never the less, they made their request know to the demon in their own tongue, pleading with him to save their people._

_“Yeah, sure I can get rid of this LITTLE ‘BUG’ goin’ around. But what’s in it for me? What do_ EYE _get out of HELPING_ YOUR LITTLE VILLAGE, hm?”

 _The mortals asked what it was that he desired, and he told them._ Their minds. _He wanted free reign to enter their minds as he saw fit. Granted, he wouldn’t be able to do anything in them without consent, but from what he already knew, humans were_ greedy, _always wanting_ something _they couldn_ ’ _t have, so he could easily use that in his favor._

_Not like they would know that…_

_He informed them, however, that they would need a_ real _altar—a conduit of sorts, for him to channel his form through into their plane, and that he would provide them the instructions with which to do so. It would make it a hell of a lot easier to enter the physical plane than just waiting and soaking up all this energy._

Sometimes, patience wasn’t his best virtue… Well, if he **had** any virtues~

_The leaders agreed, and sealed the deal with blood and, to their confusion, a shake of a hand cloaked in blue flames._

_The next day, all signs of the plague were completely gone from the village, a fleeting memory, as if it never happened. With the people well and relieved, all they had to do now was wait for the sign from him, their ‘god’, for the construction of the altar…_

_Days later, the leader called for all the villagers after receiving word from the shaman that he had left the instructions for them in the human’s dream. The shaman explained, and the people eagerly obeyed, gathering the materials and beginning the work. It didn’t take them long to build up the triangular statue with a single eye in its center, thin legs holding it up from the ground and an arm that extended out, as if to shake someone’s hand._

_Though it was a bit rough around the edges, it was pleasing enough, and he was sure to tell the shaman and leader as much, his eye crinkled in glee, by giving them his true name, “as a reward for all your HARD WORK. It’s Cipheres. Make sure you use it in your prayers, flesh bags~!”_

_It looked as if everything was going well for the village, and with his help, things would remain prosperous for them. Oh how_ ignorant _those **FRAGILE LITTLE SACKS OF FLESH AND BONE** were…_

 

**_~~~~~_ **

_They should have never made the deal. The god had only requested access to see into their minds. It seemed like such a simple request for saving the village at the time._

_What a fool he had been. He hadn’t taken into account the darkness that any heart could carry, and the being had exploited that, using the dark desires of his people to gain control of their bodies. While in control, he unleashed nothing but chaos on the village. It had started small, some livestock missing here and there, turning up days later, dead and decaying in the most inconvenient places._

_Then came the disappearances. Children, not yet reaching the age of maturity, just on the cusp of it, were been taken from their homes. They would be found days, sometimes weeks later in the forest dead; nothing remained but their memory, and a dismembered corpse._

_This had to stop. The people were afraid for the lives of their children, as well as their own. They had to destroy the altar they had erected in the god’s name._

_Needless to say, this was a HORRIBLE idea. The moment the statue fell to pieces, all hell broke loose._

**_~~~_ **

_Screams echoed through the air. Women cried aloud, mothers scrambling to find and gather their children before the cluster of destruction fell upon them. Men lashed out, fathers fighting to protect their families. Fires blazed strongly, crackling as they licked at the grass and trees and homes of the natives. They knew something was coming, but they never expected_ this.

_They should not have enraged the god—no. This was too much to be that of a god. This was the rage of a_ DEMON.

 

 

 _An earsplitting cackle was heard above all the chaos and destruction taking place in the village, the shadow of a triangular figure looming over the people._ THIS _was the true form of the being they once called a god…_

 _“Now THIS looks like a PARTY!” Its voice was high and pitchy; it didn’t fit well with the chaos that surrounded them, and yet, it fit perfectly. All the people in the village heard it, though their cries of anguish continued, as creatures swarmed nonstop from the woods. Some were demonic, some unnatural, and some eldritch in form, but they all lay waste to the mortals before them as if they were playthings. “See, this all could have been avoided if you_ IGNORANT CORPOREAL MEATSACKS just co-operated and kept up your end of the deal…”

 _The demon leaned back, lying midair as if he were relaxing on a chair. A small black arm lay behind his triangular body, the other underneath his closed eye as if rubbing his chin in thought. “It’s not like I asked for much anyways, just a little access to your_ PUNY AND FINITE MINDS. _”_

 _Standing on a pedestal in the center of the village, he cried out to the being above their homes in his native tongue. “PLEASE, STOP THIS MADNESS, CIPHERES!”_  
  
The demon in question slid his eye open slightly, stopping half way as he gazed down at the small flesh bag addressing him. Though he had no mouth, one could see the clear look of disinterest in that single eye. “And WHY exactly should I? I wasn’t the one going around BREAKING A DEAL WITH A BEING OF A HIGHER PLANE OF EXISTENCE AND POWER THAN I COULD EVER POSSIBLY HOPE TO UNDERSTAND!” _At his words, his voice dropped to a deep, booming and octave, echoing as the white of his eyes faded to a dark, bloody red and black. The tiny man before him gulped, but maintained his stance._

 

_“I will do whatever you request of me, so long as you leave this village in peace. If you spare my village and my people, then I will give you whatever you want that is within my power.”_

_At this, the demon’s eye slowly faded back to its normal color, his rage momentarily placated by the man’s words, though the hostile aura he emitted contradicted this. He placed a hand under his eye (chin?) in thought, before it narrowed. “Are you_ SURE _you wanna go that route?”_  
  
The man nodded without hesitation, and Bill chuckled, before falling into straight out laughter. He snapped his fingers, disappearing for a moment only to reappear directly in front of the village leader. “This is one deal you **WON’T** _be able to go back on...”_

 _His voice was low, deep and demonic, laced with the threat—the promise, that the leader himself would suffer for what they had done,_ regardless _of sparing the rest of his people. “But, if that’s what you want, then I guess we’ve got a_ DEAL! _” He outstretched his hand, blue flame erupting around it, and the man took it in his, squeezing tightly as the agreement was sealed._

 

 

**_~~~_ **

****

 

 _The people lived in constant fear. After that day, when the unearthly creatures emerged from the forest to destroy their homes, fear was all they knew. The moment their leader had made that deal, their lives were spared, but because he was so desperate to stop the destruction, he had failed to specify_ all _the terms of the deal from the demon’s end._

_The village leader had been left alive, but not for long. He was tortured in his sleep with endless night horrors, sometimes waking to see that the damage the demons of his mind had done leaked over into the real world, scarring his very flesh. He ended up barely sleeping and could hardly keep anything he ate or drank down._

_The lack of sustenance reduced him to practically skin and bone, which in turn lead him to fall horribly ill. Barely a month later, he had lost his mind, and only days after, he was found dead by the forest edge, his body horribly mutilated. Not far from his body, a message written in their leader’s blood was discovered, in_ HIS _cipher, as well as their language for them to understand, though they wish they hadn’t…_

**ZKHQHYHU WKH PRRQ ZDAHV IXOO, L ZLOO KDYH D SXUH VDFULILFH XQWDLQWHG EB WKH FDUHV RI WKLV ZRUOG**

**_“WHENEVER THE MOON WAXES FULL, I WILL HAVE A PURE SACRIFICE UNTAINTED BY THE CARES OF THIS WORLD.”_ **

_The message was a riddle to them at first, but they soon found out, as the next night was a full moon…_

And a child was found missing the next morning.

 

 

**_~~~~~_ **

****

****

_Only a decade or so later, the natives had died out. Their people didn’t survive long, considering what would have been their next generations were constantly taken from them by the demon that haunted their village._

_But the disappearances never stopped._

_Any civilizations that took up residence there would find that once every month, on the night of the full moon, a child would go missing, and eventually that civilization would die out, just like those before them._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to have the next chapter up sometime next week for you guys, but I'm still working in it, so I don't know if I'll have it finished by next week. No promises but I will try.
> 
> NEXT CHAPTER IS BASICALLY SIN. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.


	3. CHAPTER 3 PREVIEW

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BECAUSE YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN SO AWESOME AND AMAZING, I DECIDED TO GIVE YOU GUYS A LITTLE TASTE OF THE BEGINNING OF CHAPTER 3. THANK YOU ALL FOR THE SUPPORT AND PATIENCE! I HOPE THIS SATES YOU FOR JUST A BIT LONGER! THE FULL CHAPTER IS COMING, I PROMISE!

 

There were a lot of things Dipper hadn’t immediately noticed. Like the fact that he was now sitting rather than standing, lush grass of the clearing tickling the bare skin of his legs as the wind swept through it. Or the way Bill— in all his dapper glory, was now sitting beside him, content as if they were old friends, enjoying the weather...

 

Or how the man was pressed so close to his side that it could almost be mistaken as an intimate moment between the two. Hadn’t he ever heard of  _ personal space? _

 

He fidgeted under the weight of Bill’s arm around him.

 

_ When did that even get there? _

 

There were a lot of things Dipper had not noticed, as this finely dressed stranger- Bill- had told his story. He had been so enraptured, so  _ at ease,  _ as if being told a story and getting  _ so comfortable  _ with a  _ complete stranger  _ was  _ perfectly normal! _

 

But was it, though...?

 

He was fairly certain it wasn’t.

  
  


“Wait.”

Dipper had spoken- so suddenly, that he somehow managed to startle himself. How was that? Oh well, not important. What  _ was _ important was that his mind was beginning to catch up with him; to get back on par with what was going on. He had begun actually  _ processing  _ the story Bill had told him. But, something didn’t add up.

“If any civilization that took up residence here died out from the kids getting kidnapped, then how was Gravity Falls founded? Wouldn’t the founders have died out long before the town could even properly be established, let alone exist to present day?”

 

Bill grinned, ruffling the kid’s hair as he did so. “Nice observation, kid! Turns out, the disappearances stopped shortly after a few of founders had made the decision to pack up and move out. Pretty lucky for them, huh?”

 

Yeah.  _ Lucky _ .

 

Dipper wasn’t content with that answer, but he remained silent until another thought occurred to him; a thought that caused a deep feeling of fear and dread to settle into the pit of his stomach. He swallowed thickly, before voicing his next question, his words coming out slowly.

 

“How exactly do you know all this?”

Bill paused, looking at him with his honey gold-hazel eye before smiling with a laugh. “It’s called a  _ library _ , Pine Tree. There are plenty of books about this stuff in there. Geeze, and here I thought you were a smart one!” He rapped his knuckles softly against the kid’s forehead, but Dipper shook his head, managing to pull away from Bill.

 

“No, there aren’t; I should know. I’ve been coming here for four summers, and in that time I’ve read just about every book in that library.” He felt his fears mounting as he continued. “And if I haven’t read it, I would still _ know _ about it. I helped the librarian part time and I’ve become familiar with every book title that’s in that library… And they haven’t gotten anything new in these past four years, this one included.”

 

The moments of silence that follow Dipper’s question were tense—like a rope pulled taut and on the verge of snapping. He could feel the loud thudding of his heart and the blood rushing through his ears as he waits for something- any kind of response from Bill.

 

There were a few things that Dipper was expecting; an angry retort, snarky jab, maybe even some joke with a horrible punch line.

 

What he  _ wasn’t _ expecting, was a quiet chuckle that soon grew into a raucous laughter.

 

“Oh, Pine Tree! See, that’s what I like about you. Obscure details hardly escape your notice.” Bill was standing now, turned so his back faced Dipper as he continued. “You put  _ so much _ extra thought into things; it’s amazing. The things your SQUISHY SACK OF NEUROTRANSMITTERS AND CEREBRAL TISSUE comes up with!”

 

Dipper, still sitting in the grass, flinched at the sudden loudness in Bill’s voice. What was  _ with  _ this guy? Maybe he was delusional. Maybe he was just plain crazy. He wasn’t sure, but that pit of unease was still there, and it certainly didn’t feel like just a simple ‘you’re crazy, so I’m going to back away now’ feeling. He really didn’t want to find out what it was about. Besides, he still had to find Mabel and get out of the woods. He knew there was no chance of escaping Stan’s wrath at this point, but right now it would be a  _ Godsend  _ to hear his grunkle’s voice; even if it was loud and disciplinary. Anything would be better than being lost and alone in the woods. (Well, technically he was not alone, as Bill was there, but he didn’t count.)

 

“Yellow, anyone in there?”

 

Dipper blinked as his eyes focused on the golden hazel pupil in his face. He flinched back from the close proximity of the well dressed stranger- Bill, his name was Bill- and frowned at the pleased grin that stretched the black-blonde’s face.

 

“Wow, you really zone out when you’re in thought, don’t ya, Pine Tree?” Bill cackled as the teen shot him a pointed glare.  “Hey, don’t give me that look, kid. You know it’s true!”

Dipper huffed, crossing his arms, but said nothing in reply, as he knew Bill was right. He knew he had the tendency to zone off whenever he was particularly deep in thought or contemplation of something. It was one of the few flaws he didn’t really like addressing, whether it was himself, or someone else.

 

“Hey, kid! You’re doing the thing again!”

 

Dipper groaned out loud, resting his palms over his eyes and applying a bit of pressure. He really needed to stop that. Not that Bill’s incessant laughter at his lack of attention was helping any. In fact, it was beginning to piss him off as well as remind him that he shouldn’t even be here.

“Right, sorry ‘bout that...” Dipper began fiddling with the loose strands of his jacket then as the feeling of dread began trickling to the forefront of his mind. “I- should probably be going anyway. I’ve been gone too long as it is, and my sister and grunkle are probably worried sick-“

 

“Grunkle,” Bill cut in with a questioning look. “What’s that?”

 

“Oh, it’s uh, it’s what we call my great uncle. Grunkle Stan.”

 

Bill’s eye widened at that. “Wait. Stan? As in,  _ Stanley  _ Pines?” Well then, this changed things quite a bit. Bill  _ knew  _ there was something about this kid, and now he was absolutely positive, if he wasn’t before; Pine Tree was the one he had been waiting for this whole time.

“Well Bill, it’s been... _ nice _ —meeting you, I mean. But I  _ really  _ need to go... So, um... bye.”

Dipper nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt something  _ slick and wet  _ curve around his neck. Before he could release a startled cry or even react to the contact, he was tugged backward into a firm chest; he  glanced up, seeing a golden eye gleaming above him. Multiple emotions swirled in that honey-hazel orb, though none stuck long enough for him to discern what they were. As fast as they had come, they were gone and settled onto one emotion that seemed to be a trademark for the strange man.

He stared into that gleeful eye before he had an arm wrapped loosely around his shoulders. “C’mon now, Pine Tree- what’s the rush? The day’s still young! Besides I was thinking maybe you and I could chat a little, y’know?” Bill tugged Dipper closer to himself as he continued speaking, a black cane hanging from his arm.  _ Was that what had touched him earlier? Where did it even  _ come from?

 

It couldn’t be. It was neither slick nor wet—but it was the only thing around that would have been able to reach him? Dipper didn’t know any more. He needed to go.

 

“As much as I’d  _ love  _ to chat with you?—I really need to get home... So I guess I’ll see you around maybe?”

Dipper went to pull away from Bill, but the black-blonde man’s arm tightened around him, pulling him practically flush against his side. It was pretty hard not to notice how  _ smooth _ the silk of his suit was, the fabric rubbing against his bare arm with every movement.

 

“Come on, Pine Tree, stay a little while! Just stay a lil’ while and let’s  _ get to know each other~” _

 

Dipper shivered, feeling something hidden in Bill’s words- something sinister lying beneath what he supposed should have been saccharine…

 

Swallowing thickly, he glanced anywhere but Bill’s face, avoiding that piercing eye and its pointed stare that he felt boring into the side of his head even now. He opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off before he could speak.

 

“Tell you what, kid; how about we make a deal?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed. Will finish this chapter as soon as I can, guys! Thanks for being so patient with me! I love you all!  
> ~Mara


	5. AUTHOR'S NOTE

Okay, first off, I would like to apologize to those who are following this and/or any of my other stories in the works. I have been procrastinating on actually finishing this chapter for a while, but I'm back on track with it.

However, I've recently been working more (trying to save up to go back/finish college AND move out of parents house) while also preparing for an interview (it was supposed to be today, but got cancelled) for a BETTER job, because minimum wage/fast-food sucks. A lot. Especially when you're a gamer/fandom nerd that likes to have visual trinkets and 'unnecessary' items from said games/fandoms. (While not necessary, they fill me with joy having them. fite me.)

I apologize for the long delay between chapters, and I will try to get better at finishing those and updating these stories that you all are eagerly waiting for. But, I am taking my time with it, as it will be my SECOND smut writing ever, and it has a LOT of things  ~~that are so shamefullll~~  in it and that I'm not 100% used to writing outside of role playing. This is because I don't want to give you guys (or myself) some half arsed, poorly done smut just for the sake of it. I actually want to deliver something worth while and worthy of your attention, so I'm hoping that you guys will continue being patient with me just a while longer. I'll have the next chapter of this story up as soon as I can. 

 

Also, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR COMMENTS! I LOVE THEM ALL! EVEN THE SHORT ONES!  ~~even the ones where you all talk about burning in hell with me for all this sin!~~  They fill me with so much joy and they really make me want to keep writing. Seriously, you guys will never understand (or maybe you already do, idk) how amazing any constructive or positive comment makes an author feel. It really boosts the zeal to keep doing what they do, especially those that don't even point out flaws, but just casually point out what you enjoyed about the story, like the style, or a particular phrase, or the way they capture a character's persona (or person _AS_ ). I really do appreciate everything; from the comments, to the bookmarks, AND the kudos.

 

Thank you all for your patience and I'll see you in the next chapter; or the comments!

//wink!

 

PS: THIS A/N WILL BE DELETED ONCE THE NEXT CHAPTER OF THIS STORY SPECIFICALLY IS POSTED.


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